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Zizou (Los Angeles, CA)

Zizou Restaurant
2425 Daly St, Los Angeles, CA 90031
323-576-2026
www.instagram.com/zizou_losangeles/
Wed 03/11/2026, 08:10p-10:40p





I recently paid a visit to Lincoln Heights to check out Zizou, a French-Moroccan spot that opened on June 12th, 2024. Named after French footballer Zinedine Zidane's nickname (زيزو), the eatery is the creation of childhood friends and former lovers Boris Macquin and Maati Zouitina (a.k.a. Maati Zoutina). Zouitina hails from the Lyon region of France, and boasts Moroccan roots from his father's side. He studied architecture and previously worked at Paris-based firm Ateliers Lion, but immigrated Stateside in 2016.

Macquin, for his part, was born in the US, but during middle school, relocated to Lyon, where he would meet his future business partner. He eventually made his way back to the United States after high school, first landing in New York before settling in Southern California. Here in LA, he secured employment in sound design, but also waited tables at Figaro Bistrot in Los Feliz. Also on board as a co-owner is Maureen Hennigan, a former server who's now focusing her attention on acting, ceramics, and fitness instructing.



Zizou occupies an address once home to the longstanding Jessica's Restaurante Familiar (and was apparently supposed to become La Chuperia Café). Macquin and Zouitina took it over at the start of 2020, but had to demolish the bulk of the structure due to unpermitted additions. The restaurant they built in its place is divided into three main areas: the bar/lounge up front (where I sat initially), the middle room with its custom-built loudspeakers, and the well-vegetated patio out back. With its warm, moody, mid-century-meets-Morocco aesthetic, the place is bit of a "vibe," I guess you could say.


Zizou's compact menu of French-Mediterranean fare ostensibly draws inspiration from the family recipes of the owners, while to drink, you'll find a small list of mostly-French wine and a handful of beers. Corkage is $35 per bottle. Do also note that there's a 1.6% credit card surcharge. Click for larger versions.


Moroccan Salad [$14.00] | heirloom tomato, charred bell pepper, cucumber, red onion, cumin
Up first was a refreshingly bright, tangy salad made all the more interesting by the unmistakably spicy warmth of cumin.


Samouraï Calamari [$16.00] | fried squid, harissa aioli
Calmars came out properly tender on the inside, with light, crispy exteriors, while their subtly sweet-saline flavors were well-complemented by that harissa-boosted aïoli.


The 2006 Henri Boillot Chambertin Grand Cru served as tonight's twentieth anniversary bottle, and comes to us from the Meursault-based producer's négociant side of the business. At the start of the meal, the nose was all about warm spices and cool fruit with an underlying muskiness, rendered in a thick, dense manner. Palate-wise, think pleasantly grippy, with sweet dark berries and earth leading to a perfumed finish. Half an hour later, the bouquet became noticeably more barnyard-y, while in the mouth, the wine was much more silken, with herb and black pepper notes at the fore. An hour after that, the aforementioned funkier aromas had gone away, replaced by more herbaceousness, while we also witnessed the return of those more tannic components, along with even juicier fruit and hints of mint. Overall, I found the Burgundy surprisingly spry, with more room to grow. A fitting pair with Zizou's Moroccan-French fare.



Salade Du Souk [$26.00] | moroccan canned sardines, soft boiled egg, labneh, seasonal vegetables
The star of the show here was clearly the sardine, packed in a tangy tomato-y sauce, its brininess on proud display. The various veggies and pickles worked for contrast, and I especially enjoyed those runny eggs, while that creamy, tangy yogurt help tie everything together.


Harissa Braised Short Rib [$19.00] | pearl onions, saffron creme fraiche, turmeric rices
A dish of long-cooked short ribs turned out to be my favorite of the night. The beef arrived as fork-tender and richly-flavored as I expected, and worked hand-in-hand with that delightfully fluffy rice, enlivened by an almost briny saffron cream.


Spinach Puff Pastry [$12.00] | gorgonzola, poppy seeds, thyme
Puff pastries were indeed as flaky as I'd hoped for, the bitter bite of the spinach well conveyed, though I would've liked to have tasted more from the blue cheese.


Steak Frites [$38.00] | Hanger steak, green peppercorn sauce, grass fed
Zizou's take on a brasserie favorite largely met the mark. Made with onglet, the beef ate assertively savory and salty, with a nice sear and medium-rare cook. A sauce au poivre imparted a further bit of oomph to the steak, but wasn't strictly necessary for me. The included French fries were on point--crispy, herby, salty--but indeed improved with a dab of the provided ketchup.


Almond & Apricot Tajine [$31.00] | Mary's organic chicken, spiced onion sauce, cilantro, turmeric rice
Naturally, I had to try the tagine, which I was generally happy with. The chicken showed off a pretty decent juiciness and tenderness, but the hero of the dish was the rice, with its warm spicing and balance of nutty and fruity flavors, perked up by the sharpness of parsley.


I took my dessert in the patio, which is a rather agreeable spot to be, as we can see above.


The White port Ramos pinto (PT) [$15] was the lone dessert wine offering, so I went with it. Aromas were primarily grape and pome fruits, with a touch of honeyed character. I found the palate generally fresh and fruity, though there was quite a bit more heat present than I would've liked.


Tarte Tatin [$13.00] | caramelized apples, vanilla ice cream
The tarte Tatin is your only dessert option, and tonight's example was loaded with sweet spices, along with a bit of a boozy quality. However, I wanted a more aggressive level of caramelization, as well as some flakier pastry.

My guess is that most people are coming to Zizou for the atmosphere, which makes sense--I felt like I was the least hip person in the restaurant. But I'm glad to report that the cooking mostly delivers, combing elements from North African and Provençal cuisine to make for some approachable, familiar fare that's just interesting enough. A nice addition to the Eastside dining scene.